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Friday, March 20, 2020

You're Invited to a Spring Fling #SOL20

In the past couple of years of the Slice of Life March Challenge, I have held a party to kick the month off. I didn't do that this year but have been asked to host one again. Here's a look at the party in 2018 and in 2017.

At the beginning of the month, none of us had any idea we would be where we are today, and I think we all need a virtual party. With it being the first day of spring, why not have a Spring Fling. And since our lives have been turned upside-down, I thought a self-care party was something we could all use right now.

So imagine all of us sitting on the beach, or on my front porch, or in the mountains, or anywhere you want to imagine with no virus looming in our lives and sharing ways to better care for ourselves. How powerful would that be!

Here are my ideas I want to share:

Write - Being a part of the #100DaysofNotebooking group has taught me that writing is very therapeutic. Writing helps me to work through the rough times in my own life and think about what really matters. It helps me to reflect and identify what I have learned along the way.

Take a bath - being in water has always had a calming effect on me. Pour in a little fragrant bubble bath and Mr. Teal's Sleep Lotion, I am set.

Get outside - I think it will become even more important to find some time to go outdoors, to breathe, and to lean into those people who matter most.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you consider joining me sometime during these last 11 days and bring along a few friends. The more who participate, the more fun the party! Don't forget to RSVP when you post by either commenting here or tweeting me @Teachr4. That way I can include you in this post and we can all share how we are practicing self-care.

And if you feel the need for a hostess gift, toilet paper is acceptable!

27 comments:

I can imagine us all sitting around the porch of a beautiful country home, looking out into the woods, listening to the birds sing. I love your idea of an imaginary gathering... I can close my eyes and be there. Self care is so important and we tend to neglect it. Thank you for the reminder.

What a great idea Leigh Anne! Self care during uncertain times is such an important piece of everyone's well-being. I can almost smell my favorite candle and feel a good book in my hands as I think about what I could write... thank you for this moment of calm today - @spillarke

Love the sentiment. Your self care strategies seem great. Right now what works for me is a schedule, a walk in our woods, and reading some other blogs. Yesterday my schedule changed and I missed my outside time. I really felt it late in the day when I couldn’t sleep.

I would bring toilet paper, Leigh Anne, if there is a supply but we can't even get Kleenex tissues in my area. I am so glad that you decided to post the Spring Fling party. I will write a slice about it this weekend so we can grow a large group of attendees but off for a walk soon. The sun just came out.

Any chance to connect is a good thing and yes to parties ... I'm going to write here in your comments since my blog these days is a flow of daily SOL poems ...

The self-care things I can "bring" because they're (sort of) working for me:

* Music. Not just what's going to cranking out on the speakers so we can dance at the party, but maybe some odds and ends instruments to make our own music, right? Grab the pasta pan and some spoons. Maybe use the table for drumming. Whistle. Hum. Sing. Make music. Even if you never did it before (or not in many years), go on and add to the mix. It's a party. We'll be loud. You're invited to add to the mix. I'll bring a guitar to share around.

* Poems. This slowing down of the days is hopefully giving our brains an opportunity to see things slant, from a different angle. There's time now, but taking advantage of that time is important. I'll bring small notepads and miniature golf pencils (you know the kind) for jotting down phrases and words that might later become something poetic later. Or not. Even lost words have meaning.

* Comics. I know this group of us probably is reading some great books (I have a stack of novels now underway) but you know, if ever we needed more Calvin and Hobbes, or the Far Side, or Cul de Sac, or Rhymes with Orange, or Sheldon, or whatever, this is the time. Luckily, I have stacks of comic collections to share. I'll bring them on my trusty red wagon to share.

Thank you Kevin for joining us! I love the idea of making our music! The Slicer Band! My son has a diddly bow made from a cigar box - I could bring that! I have a feeling many new poems will be written during this time. I know several of my students are crankning them out. Thanks again for coming!